FEB 3: Lawrence Repeta book talk – ‘Japan’s Prisoners of Conscience — Protest and Law During the Iraq War’

When the U.S. demanded Japanese “boots on the ground” to support its 2003 invasion of Iraq, Prime Minister Jun’ichiro Koizumi responded by deploying a small contingent of Self-Defense Forces in the first significant display of SDF force. On the day following deployment, three antiwar protesters demonstrated by walking the corridors of SDF buildings in Tachikawa. These protestors were arrested shortly after and detained for 75 days. Amnesty International called the Japanese detainees “Prisoners of Conscience,” the first time such a term has been applied to Japan.